If God has just made you look like a complete fool by having you predict a specific event which He then didn’t follow through on, the first thing you need to understand is that this isn’t some kind of punishment, nor is He declaring His rejection of you. When you are devoted to serving God, it’s hard not to feel devastated the first time He pulls the rug out from under you. Naturally your first instinct is to assume you misunderstood Him. But here you need to be careful not to lose your grip on reality. Look back over the series of events and pay special attention to what your heart attitude was. Were you anxious to please? Were you careful not to speak until you had a clear directive? When you know you did everything right and that your soul was sincerely seeking to honor God, don’t accept the conclusion that you messed up. You did not mess up—God messed you up, and He did it on purpose. He knew from the start that He had no intention of following through on the prophecy He told you to speak.

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When God sets you up to look like a fool and a liar in front of your immediate audience, don’t try to salvage your reputation with a bunch of lame excuses. Your reputation is God’s property, and He reserves the right to destroy it. Submission is what is needed here. As rotten as it feels, you need to step back and let God hang you out to dry if that is what He wants to do. You need to leave your reputation in His hands and let Him have His way with it. He is your Defender in life, and you mustn’t throw Him over for some cheaper substitute. When people throw your unfulfilled prophecies back in your face, look to God to give you the words to say. If He leaves you speechless, then don’t say anything. This is a test of loyalties. You and God both know that you obeyed Him and that He set you up for a fall. Are you the sort of servant He can call on for anything or are you only willing to obey as long as His assignments make you look good?